St. Helena 1918-1945







Ascension 1815-1922



Ascension was discovered by the Portuguese in 1503, if not in 1501. The island was described as barren, inhabited by seabirds and the shores visited by giant-size turtles. The Portuguese released goats on the island.
The first effort to establish a permanent settlement (island capital Georgetown) was made by the British in 1815, in order to prevent the French from establishing a base from where to launch an expedition to liberate Napoleon, held captive on St. Helena. In 1816 Britain took formal possession of both Ascension and Tristan da Cunha (hitherto Portuguese). The remote islands would soon become strategically and economically interesting for a number of reasons : (1) the rising number of steamships, if to be used on long distance routes, required a network of coal stations, and (2) whaling, from 1830 onward, became big business, and whalers needed harbours to pick up fresh water etc., too.
Statesman's Year Book 1898 : Ascension .. is entirely under the control and jurisdiction of the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, and is used as a coaling, victualling, and store depot for Her Majesty's ships on the West Coast of Africa station. There is an excellent sanitarium up Green Mountain for crews of ships visiting the island, whose health is impaired from service on the coast. There is a farm of 8 acres under cultivation, producing vegetables and fruit for the garrison. The population, which consists entirely of officers, seamen and marines, with their wives and families, and about 177 Kroomen, numbers in all about 434. Garrison station, Georgetown, on northeast coast.
The island is the resort of the sea turtle, which come in thousands to lay their eggs in the sand. In good seasons from 200 to 300 are taken, averaging from 600 to 800 lbs. in weight; they are stored in ponds, and eventually killed and distributed among the people, a few being sent to the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty. Exports from the United Kingdom to Ascension (1896) 3,425 L., mostly stores.
In 1922 Ascension administratively was placed under St. Helena. The issuance of Ascension postage stamps began in 1922.





EXTERNAL
FILES 		Article Ascension History, Postage Stamps of Ascension Island, from Wikipedia
History of Ascension, by Ascension Heritage Society (Graham Avis)
DOCUMENTS
REFERENCE Article : Ascension, in : Statesman's Year Book 1895 p.166, 1898 p.166, 1901 pp.180-181, 1902 p.187, 1905 p.192, 1910 p.170, 1919 p.178, 1924 p.187 [G]
Article : St. Helena : Ascension, in : Statesman's Year Book 1925 p.208, 1926 p.212, 1928 p.210, 1929 p.211, 1932 p.214 , 1937 p.233, 1942 p.229, 1943 p.225 [G]



This page is part of World History at KMLA
First posted on September 2nd 2007, last revised on September 3rd 2007

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